2025 LOAR Group photo

We are pleased to advertise an AbSciCon 2026 session on Planetary and Environmental Context for Prebiotic Chemistry. We particularly encourage submissions related to urability (planetary suitability to support an origin of life), related to Mars, early Earth, or elsewhere!

We make recommendations for Dragonfly GC-MS protocol development to include proline, alanine, β-alanine, cysteine, and methionine. The first three offer the best chances for amino acid detection regardless of ammonia availability; the latter two offer diagnostic tools for sulfur.

The NH3-free alanine result implies that there is an alternative pathway to alanine beyond classical Strecker or aminonitrile hydrolysis; one that is based on acetylene (C2H2).

Ishaan’s models on the thermodynamics of amino acid synthesis in Selk crater on Titan show that 21 different amino acids are favorable to be produced in these post-impact ponds; however, only 3 amino acids are favorable in the absence of NH3: proline, alanine, and β-alanine.

Christmas came early!! Our lab's first publication: Madan & Pearce (2025) was published in Planetary Science Journal today. https://t.co/OzC9JYq6Vn

rather than humans whose growth you are entrusted to nurture.

Some scientists place academia on a pedestal, as though it were a higher calling that must supersede all else. The danger in this mindset is the tendency to neglect your relationships, push yourself to exhaustion, and treat your students like expendable cogs serving your ambition

This is 100% true. Academics in quotes and comments saying it's a privilege or that it's more than a job can't imagine their self-identity and self-respect without academia. Academia is a job like another, but since it's mostly less or unrewarding, one has to tell oneself tales

I love this take! I absolutely love my job, but it is also just one of many parts of my identity. If I ever lost my job (to AI 😂), I'd be fine.

I really feel for students right now. It's like every podcast I hear talks about how AI will basically take all but 5 jobs within 2 years. To have to hear that while you're working towards your career must be disheartening to say the least.

Should we do away with the word "biosignatures" to stop the media from stating that we've found life? Or, do we just need a rebrand? Which do you like?

Finally 😌

This was my first time at a Midwest Geobiology Conference and it was quite fun! I got to just show up and listen to cool science. Jonathan gave an exellent poster presentation here. My students Mariana, Mia and Ishaan also preseted posters! And collaborators gave wonderful talks.

Congrats to my PhD Student Ishaan Madan for receiving an NSF GRFP this year! "It has always been about uncovering deeper meaning and purpose within myself. I’ve learned that as long as I focus on inner growth, everything else tends to align.” -Ishaan 🙌 https://t.co/p97eRMWGtv

While it would be cool to have it all, there always seems to be some downside to evolutionary adaptations. Humans can be dazzled by the sun and sunburned. That's not great evidence that we aren't from Earth. That's just our unique evolutionary path! 5/5

...some animals are better suited for more black-and-white vision for nighttime hunting. It's just a trade-off. Similarly, our skin has a huge advantage in sweat glands and temperature regulation. We can cool ourselves down over long distances when chasing down our food. 4/x

I don't find these arguments very convincing because they don't consider the trade-offs. Human's eyes are fine-tuned for color perception: we can identify ripe fruits and veggies and spot subtle changes to our environments. This is a strength for daylight living, whereas 3/x

...translucent eyelid that prevents them from being dazzled by the sun. Why don't we have them? Elephants have thicker skin and are not susceptible to skin cancer. Why don't we have thicker skin? 2/x

My gf's brother gave me this book to read for fun. The author's first argument for why humans are most definitely not from Earth is that the Sun harms us compared to other animals. It hurts our eyes and gives us skin cancer after long exposures. For example, cats have a third 1/x